ANTHONY BUTLER: The ANC’s misguided belief that they are the centre of power
It is government, rather than the ruling party, that creates policy, writes Anthony Butler, but don’t tell Zuma
Is the ANC really a strategic centre of power, as its officials like to claim? As is now convention, the national executive committee’s (NEC) recent lekgotla resolved that, "the actions of government must, at all times, affirm the ANC as strategic centre of power with authority over the state". To make this dream come true, the NEC has once again proposed "a clear accountability framework for all cadres operating in the state" that will apparently "be developed within eight months". The ANC will also ostensibly "build its internal capacity to give policy direction to its elected representatives as well as creating a monitoring mechanism". The ANC makes the same fantastical claims every five years. The doctrine of ANC supremacy is embedded in the sacred text known as "strategy and tactics", an object of deep veneration for delegates at elective conferences. In the early years of SA’s democracy, it is true, political commentators and journalists often made an elementary but contrary m...
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